Novels by Doris.C

Ethan offered no explanation and just shot Liam a look. "Find her."His gaze fell on Justin's bruised cheek, darkening his expression. "Who hit you?" Justin hung his head in silence."Mr. Douglas, what a scene aren't you the ones who trample others beneath your feet?" Richard mocked with a sneer.Justin looked up at Ethan, his eyes bloodshot.Suddenly, his nose felt warm, and a fresh trickle of blood began to flow. Frightened, Justin raised a hand to his nose and turned away, crouching down, not wanting to alarm Ethan."Justin." Richard dropped the stick he was holding and rushed to wipe Justin's nose with a tissue, but his injured hand was clumsy, and he accidentally smeared blood all over him.Liam was about to step in to help when Ethan beat him to it, taking over with the tissue."Let's get to the hospital," Ethan said, his frown deepening as he saw Justin's nosebleed not letting up, speaking with a sense of urgency in his voice."Give me back my nephew," Richard said, eyeing Etha

Stellar Enterprises."Mr. Douglas, the earnings for this quarter-"Ethan was in the midst of a meeting when his phone suddenly rang.The conference room fell silent, deathly so.A collective anxiety swept through the attendees, wondering who had the audacity to not only forget to put their phone on silent but even bring it into an internal meeting...While everyone nervously exchanged glances, Ethan pulled out his own phone.A collective sigh of relief followed.Ethan's brow furrowed as he glanced at the unfamiliar number-only a few knew his personal cell."Hello?"On the other end of the line, a tear-choked voice pleaded, "Daddy, come save me, please..."It was Justin, sobbing and begging for help.In the unnerving quiet of the room, everyone stared in shock at Ethan.Since when did Mr. Douglas have a kid? Was he secretly married?Ethan felt a tightness in his chest as he heard the crying on the phone; he stood up abruptly.With a gesture for the Vice President to continue the meetin

Richard's struggle was frenzied. "Come at me if you dare, you son of a bitch!"The bandages on Jasmine's ear were soaked with fresh blood; it seemed she might truly go deaf in her left ear.Collapsed on the ground, Jasmine tried to crawl towards Justin, who was still wiping away blood, his face etched with terror."Richard, that bitch almost got my sister killed yesterday, and managed to draw Ethan into her mess. She's got some nerve," spat Evan, before his boot landed brutally on Jasmine's stomach, as if infuriated by her newfound protection."Jasmine, you're getting more and more capable, aren't you? What tricks did you use to seduce Ethan?" Evan yanked Jasmine's hair again, forcing her to look. "Watch closely."After speaking, Evan signaled to the bodyguard to move against Richard. "Which hand of yours touched my sister inappropriately, huh? I want your sister to watch closely as I cripple you."Richard struggled, but his right hand was pinned to the ground.He learned maintenance

Jasmine dashed toward the charred remains of the house, only to be stopped by a firefighter. "Is this your place? It's been burning all night. If it weren't for a neighbor waking up to the smoke, it would all be gone.""Don't go in there; it's still not safe. These old structures fall apart once they're on fire."Trembling and kneeling on the ground, Jasmine felt her depression setting in, rendering her mute with shock. She struggled to speak; she tried to lift her arms, but her body wouldn't respond.Brother... her brother was still inside.Her greatest fear was always the danger that might reach her brother.Why... why couldn't they just leave her alone?Curled up in a trembling ball on the ground, Jasmine wept silently.How much more would they torment her before they were satisfied?Would it really take her death for Daniel to stop?"My uncle... he's still inside," Justin sobbed, clutching his mom and pointing to the room. "Please, can you save my uncle?"The firefighters exchange

As she stood up, Jasmine spoke again, "In prison, they'd contaminate my water. I knew, and every time I resisted, they'd just ante up. So, I stopped fighting it and drank it down, nausea and all... I figured if I endured, eventually they'd get bored and stop terrorizing me."Depression had rendered Jasmine mute for a long while, speaking had become an ordeal.But in front of Ethan, she felt compelled to explain."The moment they were about to tire of their cruel game, an inmate, in front of everyone, pointed out what they were doing to me. Their brief leniency turned into relentless vengeance. After that inmate was released the following year, she couldn't protect me anymore."Her laugh held a tinge of bitterness.What Jasmine went through after her protective fellow inmate was released, Ethan could imagine without her having to say more.Ethan was stunned.Today, Jasmine had put him in his place twice.He realized she was hinting at his current stance if he couldn't protect her indef

Jasmine looked up at Ethan and after a long pause, she began, "Mr. Douglas, this is pointless..."Mentioning Serena would only drag her deeper into the mess and invite reckless harm from Daniel and the Wilson family.She just wanted to protect herself.She wasn't gifted with the inherent superiority and influence that Ethan had.Ethan's brows knitted together. "If you don't stand up for yourself when bullied, any harm that comes your way is on you."His voice was frigid, instilling a twinge of fear in Jasmine.Ethan was not a 'good guy' in the traditional sense, but he had saved her more times than she could count. She was grateful, yet she knew better than to expect him to understand her plight."Let's make a bet, Mr. Douglas," Jasmine said, her voice hoarse, and her gaze intense. "What are we betting on?" Ethan asked, his eyes deep with meaning."That even if I speak up, Serena won't be affected in the least," Jasmine let out a bitter laugh.But if she did speak up, Daniel and Evan